Kohler, Rebels one win from turf

Thursday

Nov 15, 2012 at 7:25 PMNov 15, 2012 at 7:28 PM

Stark County QB Justin Kohler is the Star Courier's Athlete of the Week

Mike Landis

Justin Kohler has taken snaps as Stark County's quarterback for three years and as his senior year winds to a conclusion, he's just two wins away from delivering the program's first-ever state championship. Kohler leads the Rebels into Saturday's Class 1A semifinal battle at Stockton, with the winner moving on to the state title game. He's piloting a Stark County offense that's scored 102 points in its last two playoff outings and is keeping defenses off balance with its blend of running and throwing."He's just kind of dialed in right now," said Stark County coach Jade Noard. "He's throwing the ball very well, but you have to account for him in the running game. That makes for a big field to try to defend.""It means a lot to me to be the quarterback at such a tradition-rich school," said Kohler. "A lot of people look up to you and that really feels pretty good."Forreston's defense had little luck containing Kohler and his weapons in Stark County's 50-20 quarterfinal romp. He passed for 177 yards and two key early touchdowns to Brandon Lee, while adding 86 rushing yards and two more scores."He was awesome on Saturday, just getting us started on the right note. He made a couple of great throws to Brandon," said Noard."It all kind of starts with the running game. Colton (Senders) and Danny (Berchtold) are two great backs for us. When our running game is clicking, it opens up our passing game with Bryce (Willis) and Brandon," said Kohler of his team's offensive success. "I've just got a bunch of playmakers out there that will do things for me."Awesome pretty well describes Kohler's career at Stark County. He arrived as the team's starting quarterback as a sophomore."His sophomore year he was on a very talented team, so he was just trying to manage the game. He had other guys that could shoulder the load," said Noard. "Last year getting us to the semifinals in 2A was a big thing, but even then our offense wasn't quite as potent as it's been this year.""The game was so much faster back then. It's really slowed down and I know my reads. Coach Noard has had a big hand in that. He just tells me to calm down and keep my composure," said Kohler.While he's compiled some impressive individual numbers in three years, it's two team-related numbers that really stand out."He's won 30 football games and seven playoff games," said Noard. "There's a whole bunch of kids that don't get to play in that many playoff games."Kohler would like to add a couple more wins to his Stark County legacy."It's definitely a good way to go out, especially being a senior," said Kohler of this year's playoff run. "You want to make as deep of a run as you can. That was our goal. To do it two years in a row makes a statement for our program."Kohler and the Rebels remember the sting of last year's 28-0 semifinal loss at Morrison, and believes he has the remedy Saturday in Stockton."We have to come out with some intensity. Last year we came out kind of flat and they (Morrison) just took it to us the whole game," said the SC QB. "I think if we come out and take it to them (Stockton) early and get up, with the offense they run it's going to be a challenge for them."Kohler gets his notoriety on the offensive side of the ball, but he's also a versatile defender for the Rebels."This year I've kind of moved around everywhere — strong safety, linebacker, defensive end," said Kohler."Our defense has really stepped up the last couple of weeks. We have some size to us and we're not afraid to go in there and hit somebody in the mouth."It's been quite a three-year ride for Kohler and the Rebels, and he's well aware of the perfect ending — a state championship."It's definitely every high school kid's dream," said Kohler. "That would be a great way to end my high school career."